SPARTAN DAILY LIFE MEN The men of Sparta ran the country and spent a lot of time away from their homes and families. The Spartan men worked a lot, they did jobs such as:-
Politics
Farming
Fighting
Sailing
Hunting
Building
spartan men used to cut their hair short and had beards. However if they were a soldier they wouldn't have beards. The places where men cut their hair was a barber shop. These barber shops were very popular, in these shops lots of news was also shared. WOMEN Greek women had the job of looking after the house and kids each day. In Sparta the children that were born, were expected to be pure Spartan, this meant the women had to do physical exercise to become fit for child birth. It was believed that women were very rarely seen in public, they were kept at home and looked after the home. There were lots of differences between native women, immigrant women and slaves. If the women were tough enough they to could become warriors. BOYS The educational aim for Athens was to create strong citizens, however the Spartans wanted to create a strong warrior. At the age of 7 boys were taken from there parents where they lived a harsh life in the soldier barracks. The older boys at the barracks used to fight the younger boys to make them stronger. During their training the children were given little food, this encouraged them to steal food, through things like this the children learnt how to lie, steal, cheat and how to do this without getting caught. Through the experience that was gained at the soldier barracks some became warriors and some became a Secret police officer. GIRLS The girls in ancient Sparta had to stay in their houses until they were married. However there were some events such as festivals and funerals. The girls job was to help out around the house. http://greece.mrdonn.org/sparta.html www.history.howstuffworks.com
Interesting facts about Sparta!
An interesting fact to about Sparta is that it had two kings. Sparta was known a the Doric State of Sparta and it had a mixed government that would allow two inherited kings to rule at the same time and with the same authority. This abnormality has been explained through lots of different speculations, but none of them could be entirely approved as certain.
Leonidas I
Leonidas was one of Greece's greatest kings, and was the king of Sparta during 5th century BC, he was a great leader during all of the wars.
Leonidas was the half-brother of King Cleomenes I of Sparta. Cleomenes committed suicide and Leonidas was made king. Leonidas became king because Cleomenes didn’t have a son or any close male relatives when he died. Leonidas was married to Cleomenes' only child Gorgo. This was only part of the reason he became king. Another reason is that Cleomenes and Leonidas both were Hercules' ancestor.
Average day for a Spartan Boy-
There is a story about a Spartan boy who hid a fox under his cloak to hide it because he stole it. Instead of people finding out that he stole it, he hid it there and so the fox gnawed him. He then died of the wounds. If they found him, he would not have been in trouble for stealing, but he would have been in trouble for letting them find him. This story shows how the Spartan men have such bravery. The boys mainly went to school to make them well-disciplined and to learn bravery. They learned a tiny bit about reading and writing for basic needs as well.
Because of this, when the boys grew older, the Spartans made their training harder, they cut their hair short and would make them walk around bare foot. When the boys turned 12, they then stopped wearing tunics and would get one cloak per year. They didn't bath or use lotions on their bodies because they were tough. They slept in groups and made their beds out of bits of a plant which they cut up with their hands. They didn't use knives. The smallest punishment was whipping, they were deliberately not given much food so they would then have to steal some and if they were caught they would get whipped harshly for stealing carelessly and unskilfully. The groups of boys would have to fight each other in violent games with a ball and as they got older, it got more intense. They boys were taught music and poetry, but were mostly based on religious themes.
Children lived with their mothers in the woman's quarter until they were 7. They would sleep in wicker baskets or wooden cradles. They would play with toys like balls, rattles, yo-yos, rocking horses and dolls and animals that were made out of clay. A lot of children also had pets. They liked dogs mostly. They liked other animals too though, like ducks, birds, goats, mice, tortoises and grasshoppers. When they turned 7, they went to school. The men ran the government in Greece. The men sailed, hunted and traded, and all those activities took them away from home. They enjoyed doing things like wrestling, horseback riding and The Olympic Games. Men would have parties which women weren't allowed to attend. Men had short hair. They wouldn't have beards unless they were soldiers.
Spartan Marriage- When getting married a women would be captured and her hair shaved off by the bridesmaid. She then would be put into men's clothes and put in a dark room. Usually it was a girl who would grow into a women during marriage. After the marriage the husband would continue to visit his wife in secret until he was thirty, when he was thirty he would be allowed to live with his wife. When the couple had a child, the women wouldn’t have much to do with it because it would usually be looked after by nurses.
Women were allowed to divorce their husbands, it was quite common. Women would get remarried a few times.
Average Day for a Spartan Girl- As a Spartan girl/ women you were, unlike other civilizations treated as well as the men. The girls were allowed to go to school just like the males, which in other cities was highly forbidden they were encouraged to play in the sports like javelin, discuss, foot races and staged battles. Women would also run nude in front of their husbands and they were highly respected for their athletic skills. The women lived in a special part of the house called the gynaeceum, this was the master room of the house. Spartan girls were forced to get married to a chosen man, they would be abducted in the night and their heads would be shaven, then laid on straw in the dark and in men's clothing, until her new husband came. And the men would only be allowed to live with his wife when he turned 30 years old. The women would normally keep their hair long and would place them in plaits on top of their head. Most clothes were made of wool and linen, until India started importing materials. But even then only the rich could afford that, and the women in the poorer families had to make their own clothes for their family. They dyed the clothes by using different plants and coloured the clothes to match the city/state they lived in. In no other Greek city/state did women enjoy the amount of freedom than the Spartan Women. Spartan women were expected to produce strong and healthy children and be loyal to their state. Unfortunately the women could not choose their husbands and that was probably the most un free part of life the Spartan women had. Unlike other women in different states, the Spartan women could own and control their own land. They could also get a new husband if their husband had been away too long. Women were expected to guard their husbands land and guard it against invaders and robbers, till their husbands returned. The Spartan women didn’t take that mush part in looking after their children, their children were mainly looked after by nurses and child carers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- childhood
Children lived with their mothers in the women's quarter until they were 7 years old. They slept in wicker baskets or wooden cradles.
The children played with balls, miniature chariots, rattles, yo-yos, rocking horses, and dolls and animals made from clay. Many had pets. They especially liked dogs. Other pets included ducks, quail, birds, goats, tortoises, mice, weasels, and grasshoppers. At age 7 the boys went to school. Schools
When babies were born in Sparta, Spartan soldiers would come by the house to examine them. If the baby did not look healthy, it was taken away and left to die or trained as a slave. If the baby was healthy, it was assigned membership in a brotherhood or sisterhood.
The boys in Sparta were sent to military camps of their brotherhood when they turned 7. They learned how to read and write until they were about 14. The Spartan government wanted to make the boys tough. To do this they were given little clothing and no shoes. They slept on hard beds made of reeds and were not given any covers. They were not given enough food. They were trained in survival skills and how to be a good soldier. Reading and writing were taught as secondary skills.
Between ages 18 to 20 each boy had to pass a fitness test. If he did not pass the test, he became a perioidos. This was a person of middle class who had no political rights and was not even considered a citizen. If the boy passed he served in the military and continued to train as a soldier. Military service lasted until the boy reached age 60.
The girls were trained in the school of their sisterhood. They were taught physical education. Classes include wrestling, gymnastics, and combat training. The Spartans wanted girls to be strong so that they would have healthy children. At age 18 the Spartan girl had to pass a fitness test. She was then assigned a husband and allowed to return home. If she failed the test, she became a perioikos.
Roles of the Men and Women Men
In Greece the men ran the government. They spent a lot of their time out of the house while involved in politics. Men also spent time in the fields overseeing the crops. They sailed, hunted, and traded. All of these activities took the men away from home. Men enjoyed wrestling, horseback riding, and the Olympic Games. Men also had parties in which the women were not allowed to attend. Women
Women had little freedom. Wealthy women hardly ever left the house. They sent slaves to the market. They were allowed to attend weddings, funerals, and some religious festivals. Their job was to run the house and look after the children. Greek women supervised slaves who did all the cooking, cleaning, and tending of the crops. Male slaves guarded the women when the men were away. Except in Sparta girls did not go to school. They learned only the basics of reading and math at home. Girls were taught how to run a house. Women lived in a special section of the house called the gynaeceum. Marriage
Spartan women were not given a special celebration on their wedding day. The ceremony was brief and private. Afterwards the husband and wife would meet in secret until the husband reached the age of thirty. At that time he was allowed to live in the same house as his wife.
Divorce was quite common and allowed. The women would frequently remarry. Homes
Greek homes were plain. They were built of wood, mud brick, or stone buildings. They had only two or three rooms built around an open courtyard. Windows were small and set high on the walls. They could be closed with shutters. They were whitewashed to a bright white. In poor homes, the cooking was done outside over a campfire. Few homes had chimneys. Instead they had small vents in the ceiling to allow smoke to go out. There was not much difference between the homes of the wealthy and the poor. The largest difference was where the home was located. The wealthy home would be located in a different district in the town. The wealthy spent their money on expensive clothes, jewelry, and slaves.
Expensive homes had one foot thick walls. This kept thieves from stealing. The lower part of the wall was stone and the upper part was brick. These homes included:
pastas - an open courtyard with a columned entranceway
aule - a living room
andron - room where the men ate and entertained (This room usually opened into the courtyard.)
oikos - family dining room (Next to the kitchen and bathroom so they could be heated at the same time.)
gynaeceum - master bedroom
Classes of People
Freemen - divided into classes
Lowest class were the thetes (urban craftsmen)
Middle ranks - small farmers
Top - aristocrats who owned large estates
Many occupations fell between these classes.
Metics - free non-citizens - Metics were usually Greeks from other city-states. They worked in low paying jobs.
Slaves -
Highest Level - some worked as tutors and police officials
Middle Level - domestic slaves - often considered one of the family
Lowest slave worked in the mines
Women - had few rights - often treated like a domestic slave
Sparta is in Southern Greece.
The foundation of Sparta was in 1100-800 BC by the Dorians and was known as the dark age.
2 centuries later, the Spartans destroyed their neighbours Messenia and gained lovely agricultural land.
They became main rivals of Athens after being defeated in war by another city-state.
All men of Spartan birth had to serve in the army and their whole lives was dedicated to learning warfare.
All the men were full time soldiers.
Spartan soldiers were feared the most by other city-states, because they were the most trained men
The Spartan girls were encouraged to exercise and grew up with more freedom than girls in other Greek cities.
Woman mixed with men and could own land, but they could not vote or have/hold any position of power.
Sparta began when the Peloponnesus the invasions of Dorian Greek tribes coming from Macedonia and Epirus for submitting or displacing the older Achaean Greek habitats. Sparta is the cultural and state of the Spartans and was the greatest state with the central finger of Peloponnese. He was the greatest power that the military that the Greece had in the history of Sparta. Soon the Spartans couldn’t and didn’t produce the art or the philosophy, and Peloponnese didn’t give them any written work to control their army. The Greek lived on because its people admired and valued the Greeks for what they had done. The city was founded during the Mycenaean war. The Dorian Spartans crossed the Taygetus mountains and stole the country of Messenia. But just because the Spartans has taken over the land Messenia didn’t give up without a fight. So they fought and the Messenia almost won but the Spartans fought hard and won the battle, by out numbering the Messenia’s population. The Spartans responded by making a military government, or a military oligarchy formed by Lycurgus, according to the Spartans
Kids lived in the mother’s quarter until they were seven and had to sleep in wicker baskets or wooden cradles. Kids would play with balls, tiny chariots, rattles, yo-yos, rocking horses and animals made of clay. Many Spartans had pets. Spartans favourite animal was a dog, so many households had pet dogs, but dogs weren’t the only animals that were pets, there were bird’s goat’s mice weasels and grasshoppers. At the age of 7 boys went to school.
Sparta had the greatest military power of all of Greece and played catalytic role in history of Peloponnese. Spartans were small but very well disciplined in battle. When a Spartan boy was born the elders of Sparta inspected him to see if he was fit enough to train. If he was weak and sick he would be left to die on Mount Taygetus. if the boy was to live the mother learned to feed him with plain food, to bathe him in wine for tempering his body, not to be afraid of being left alone and not to be afraid of dark. A Spartan boy’s military training started at the age of five, this statue continued until he became eleven years old. He left his home and started to live in barracks and was given a tunic to wear. After the boy completed his 12th year he was now a youth so his Physical Training increased and he had his hair cut very short and his Tunic was taken away and replaced with a thin cloak.
The rivalry, between Sparta and Athens erupted into a disastrous war for Athens, it was true to everyone in Sparta and Athens that they did not like anyone in the other town which turned into wars. Below is a brief of the "Battle of Plataea". Battle of Plataea 479 BC Five thousand citizens, each one attended by seven slaves, together with five thousand Spartans and they marched toward the Plateau. This was a very large army and never in the past Sparta had sent such a big force in the field. At Isthmu, they joined with the Peloponnesian allies and continued to march to the plateau. Along the way the army was joined by three thousand Megarons and finally at Plataea another eight thousand Athenian joined them. The number of Greek army were now thirty thousand. The Greeks after consulting the Gods with sacrifices at Eleusis marched over the ridge of Kithairon mountain they saw the encamped Persian army in the valley of Asopos. For eight days the attack was delayed from both sides by unfavorable sacrifices. When Pausanias at night gave the order of retreat, some Spartans refused to move. Threats did nothing to persuade the Spartan captain Amomferatus, who took a huge rock and threw it at the feet of Pausanias, with the words: "with this pebble I give my vote not to fly". Only three thousand Persians who escaped, from the three hundred thousand. The Spartans lost only one thousand and three hundred men. http://sikyon.com/sparta/history_eg.html
The battle of Thermopylae was one of the most famous ancient Greek battles. The war was between The Ancient Greek city states who were led by Sparta. And commanded by King Leonidas. The Persians who were led by King Xerxes, the ruler of all of the known parts of Middle East and Asia at that time. The battle started on the 7th of August 480 BC and ended on the 8th or the 10th of September 480 BC. Before the battle started Before the battle and the war had started all of Greece was at war. Sparta was fighting Athens and the other cities picked sides. While the Greeks were too busy fighting amongst themselves, the Persians who are the modern day Iraq's, were growing more powerful every day. They ruled most of the known world. And were the dominate country at this time. But Xerxes wanted more he also wanted to rule Greece. So first he sent envoys to Sparta, Athens, Corinth and Olympia. The envoys were killed by the Spartans. While the other City States said then we shall be at war, and we will never bow at the feet of your master. So Xerxes launched an attack on Greece. It took him two years to get his two million strong army to Greece. Xerxes and his Persian army stormed through Greece and could not be stopped. But they had to march through a small narrow path between a hill and the high cliffs of the Aegean sea ,known as the "Hot Gates "or Thermopylae. Which was the last defence before the Persians would take Athens. A perfect spot for the Spartan and Greek Phalanx to be put to use. Because a Phalanx is a unit of men who stood in a line and put their spears in a line. But the Phalanx was very weak sometimes because it had no defence from behind, or the sides. But because they had hills on their sides and the Sea on the other and there was no way around, but through the Spartans. All that the Persians could do, would be to run into the Greek Spears. And get Impaled on their spears. But before that the Spartans left for Thermopylae they visited the Oracle of Delphi. Who told him that for Sparta to live one Spartan King must die. Because in Sparta there were always two kings. From two separate families. And King Leonidas knew that the battle was, a suicide mission and there was no way that a small Greek army, of just over ten thousand men could hold off over two million men. So then he would die and Sparta would live. The battle of Thermopylae When we think of the battle of we think of Thermopylae the three hundred Spartans. But in fact we are incorrect there were another nine thousand Athenian soldiers there. On the first day the Spartans and the Olympians took the mountain pass. While the Athenian navy held the Sea from the Persian ships. And on the first day King Leonidas met an old Farmer who said that there was a way around. To the Spartans from the Persian side. So King Leonidas ordered the Corinthians to guard that way in. On the first day the Persians ordered in their Immortals. The Persian infantry elite. They were called the immortals because once that one Immortal was killed, another would take his place. But the Spartans prevailed and beat them back again and again and again. By the end of the battle Xerxes had lost one eighth of his army and his brother and two of his finest generals. As the historical accounts say. The Spartans could not loose a battle and either could their allies. Until the farmer that told King Leonidas, about the small path told King Xerxes for a nice reward. And betrayed them. On the last day of the battle King Leonidas bravely told his allies to go home and prepare Athens. For the Persian assault on Greece. The Spartans were now on their own now the legend of the three hundred Spartans begins. The Spartans drew their swords and fought of the Persians for eight hours until a sea of arrows rained down upon them and killed them all. But three hundred brave young men held off over two million Persians and severely dented the Persian hopes of taking Greece. And saved the Ancient Greek world. This was the legacy of Sparta ."Come home with this shield or come home dead upon it". Never retreat never say die. Bibliography By Nikolas Petrovski History Channel Discovery Channel Wikipedia Things I knew in my head
MEN
The men of Sparta ran the country and spent a lot of time away from their homes and families. The Spartan men worked a lot, they did jobs such as:-
- Politics
- Farming
- Fighting
- Sailing
- Hunting
- Building
spartan men used to cut their hair short and had beards. However if they were a soldier they wouldn't have beards. The places where men cut their hair was a barber shop. These barber shops were very popular, in these shops lots of news was also shared.WOMEN Greek women had the job of looking after the house and kids each day. In Sparta the children that were born, were expected to be pure Spartan, this meant the women had to do physical exercise to become fit for child birth. It was believed that women were very rarely seen in public, they were kept at home and looked after the home. There were lots of differences between native women, immigrant women and slaves. If the women were tough enough they to could become warriors.
BOYS The educational aim for Athens was to create strong citizens, however the Spartans wanted to create a strong warrior. At the age of 7 boys were taken from there parents where they lived a harsh life in the soldier barracks. The older boys at the barracks used to fight the younger boys to make them stronger. During their training the children were given little food, this encouraged them to steal food, through things like this the children learnt how to lie, steal, cheat and how to do this without getting caught. Through the experience that was gained at the soldier barracks some became warriors and some became a Secret police officer.
GIRLS
The girls in ancient Sparta had to stay in their houses until they were married. However there were some events such as festivals and funerals. The girls job was to help out around the house.
http://greece.mrdonn.org/sparta.html
www.history.howstuffworks.com
- Interesting facts about Sparta!
- An interesting fact to about Sparta is that it had two kings. Sparta was known a the Doric State of Sparta and it had a mixed government that would allow two inherited kings to rule at the same time and with the same authority. This abnormality has been explained through lots of different speculations, but none of them could be entirely approved as certain.
- Leonidas I
- Leonidas was one of Greece's greatest kings, and was the king of Sparta during 5th century BC, he was a great leader during all of the wars.
Leonidas was the half-brother of King Cleomenes I of Sparta. Cleomenes committed suicide and Leonidas was made king. Leonidas became king because Cleomenes didn’t have a son or any close male relatives when he died. Leonidas was married to Cleomenes' only child Gorgo. This was only part of the reason he became king. Another reason is that Cleomenes and Leonidas both were Hercules' ancestor.Average day for a Spartan Boy-
There is a story about a Spartan boy who hid a fox under his cloak to hide it because he stole it. Instead of people finding out that he stole it, he hid it there and so the fox gnawed him. He then died of the wounds. If they found him, he would not have been in trouble for stealing, but he would have been in trouble for letting them find him. This story shows how the Spartan men have such bravery.
The boys mainly went to school to make them well-disciplined and to learn bravery. They learned a tiny bit about reading and writing for basic needs as well.
Because of this, when the boys grew older, the Spartans made their training harder, they cut their hair short and would make them walk around bare foot.
When the boys turned 12, they then stopped wearing tunics and would get one cloak per year.
They didn't bath or use lotions on their bodies because they were tough. They slept in groups and made their beds out of bits of a plant which they cut up with their hands. They didn't use knives. The smallest punishment was whipping, they were deliberately not given much food so they would then have to steal some and if they were caught they would get whipped harshly for stealing carelessly and unskilfully.
The groups of boys would have to fight each other in violent games with a ball and as they got older, it got more intense. They boys were taught music and poetry, but were mostly based on religious themes.
Children lived with their mothers in the woman's quarter until they were 7. They would sleep in wicker baskets or wooden cradles.
They would play with toys like balls, rattles, yo-yos, rocking horses and dolls and animals that were made out of clay. A lot of children also had pets. They liked dogs mostly. They liked other animals too though, like ducks, birds, goats, mice, tortoises and grasshoppers.
When they turned 7, they went to school.
The men ran the government in Greece. The men sailed, hunted and traded, and all those activities took them away from home. They enjoyed doing things like wrestling, horseback riding and The Olympic Games. Men would have parties which women weren't allowed to attend.
Men had short hair. They wouldn't have beards unless they were soldiers.
Spartan Marriage-
When getting married a women would be captured and her hair shaved off by the bridesmaid. She then would be put into men's clothes and put in a dark room. Usually it was a girl who would grow into a women during marriage. After the marriage the husband would continue to visit his wife in secret until he was thirty, when he was thirty he would be allowed to live with his wife.
When the couple had a child, the women wouldn’t have much to do with it because it would usually be looked after by nurses.
Women were allowed to divorce their husbands, it was quite common. Women would get remarried a few times.
Average Day for a Spartan Girl-
As a Spartan girl/ women you were, unlike other civilizations treated as well as the men. The girls were allowed to go to school just like the males, which in other cities was highly forbidden they were encouraged to play in the sports like javelin, discuss, foot races and staged battles. Women would also run nude in front of their husbands and they were highly respected for their athletic skills. The women lived in a special part of the house called the gynaeceum, this was the master room of the house. Spartan girls were forced to get married to a chosen man, they would be abducted in the night and their heads would be shaven, then laid on straw in the dark and in men's clothing, until her new husband came. And the men would only be allowed to live with his wife when he turned 30 years old. The women would normally keep their hair long and would place them in plaits on top of their head. Most clothes were made of wool and linen, until India started importing materials. But even then only the rich could afford that, and the women in the poorer families had to make their own clothes for their family. They dyed the clothes by using different plants and coloured the clothes to match the city/state they lived in. In no other Greek city/state did women enjoy the amount of freedom than the Spartan Women. Spartan women were expected to produce strong and healthy children and be loyal to their state. Unfortunately the women could not choose their husbands and that was probably the most un free part of life the Spartan women had. Unlike other women in different states, the Spartan women could own and control their own land. They could also get a new husband if their husband had been away too long. Women were expected to guard their husbands land and guard it against invaders and robbers, till their husbands returned. The Spartan women didn’t take that mush part in looking after their children, their children were mainly looked after by nurses and child carers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
childhood
Children lived with their mothers in the women's quarter until they were 7 years old. They slept in wicker baskets or wooden cradles.
The children played with balls, miniature chariots, rattles, yo-yos, rocking horses, and dolls and animals made from clay. Many had pets. They especially liked dogs. Other pets included ducks, quail, birds, goats, tortoises, mice, weasels, and grasshoppers. At age 7 the boys went to school.
Schools
When babies were born in Sparta, Spartan soldiers would come by the house to examine them. If the baby did not look healthy, it was taken away and left to die or trained as a slave. If the baby was healthy, it was assigned membership in a brotherhood or sisterhood.
The boys in Sparta were sent to military camps of their brotherhood when they turned 7. They learned how to read and write until they were about 14. The Spartan government wanted to make the boys tough. To do this they were given little clothing and no shoes. They slept on hard beds made of reeds and were not given any covers. They were not given enough food. They were trained in survival skills and how to be a good soldier. Reading and writing were taught as secondary skills.
Between ages 18 to 20 each boy had to pass a fitness test. If he did not pass the test, he became a perioidos. This was a person of middle class who had no political rights and was not even considered a citizen. If the boy passed he served in the military and continued to train as a soldier. Military service lasted until the boy reached age 60.
The girls were trained in the school of their sisterhood. They were taught physical education. Classes include wrestling, gymnastics, and combat training. The Spartans wanted girls to be strong so that they would have healthy children. At age 18 the Spartan girl had to pass a fitness test. She was then assigned a husband and allowed to return home. If she failed the test, she became a perioikos.
Roles of the Men and Women
Men
In Greece the men ran the government. They spent a lot of their time out of the house while involved in politics. Men also spent time in the fields overseeing the crops. They sailed, hunted, and traded. All of these activities took the men away from home. Men enjoyed wrestling, horseback riding, and the Olympic Games. Men also had parties in which the women were not allowed to attend.
Women
Women had little freedom. Wealthy women hardly ever left the house. They sent slaves to the market. They were allowed to attend weddings, funerals, and some religious festivals. Their job was to run the house and look after the children. Greek women supervised slaves who did all the cooking, cleaning, and tending of the crops. Male slaves guarded the women when the men were away. Except in Sparta girls did not go to school. They learned only the basics of reading and math at home. Girls were taught how to run a house. Women lived in a special section of the house called the gynaeceum.
Marriage
Spartan women were not given a special celebration on their wedding day. The ceremony was brief and private. Afterwards the husband and wife would meet in secret until the husband reached the age of thirty. At that time he was allowed to live in the same house as his wife.
Divorce was quite common and allowed. The women would frequently remarry.
Homes
Greek homes were plain. They were built of wood, mud brick, or stone buildings. They had only two or three rooms built around an open courtyard. Windows were small and set high on the walls. They could be closed with shutters. They were whitewashed to a bright white. In poor homes, the cooking was done outside over a campfire. Few homes had chimneys. Instead they had small vents in the ceiling to allow smoke to go out. There was not much difference between the homes of the wealthy and the poor. The largest difference was where the home was located. The wealthy home would be located in a different district in the town. The wealthy spent their money on expensive clothes, jewelry, and slaves.
Expensive homes had one foot thick walls. This kept thieves from stealing. The lower part of the wall was stone and the upper part was brick. These homes included:
- pastas - an open courtyard with a columned entranceway
- aule - a living room
- andron - room where the men ate and entertained (This room usually opened into the courtyard.)
- oikos - family dining room (Next to the kitchen and bathroom so they could be heated at the same time.)
- gynaeceum - master bedroom
Classes of PeopleBiography:
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/daily_life.htm?tql-iframe>
http://www.laconia.org/sparti_h_1.htm
http://www.laconia.org/sparti_h_1.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/daily_life.htm?tql-iframe
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/daily_life.htm?tql-iframe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/aegean/culture/womenofsparta.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/daily_life.htm?tql-iframe
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/daily_life.htm
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/aegean/culture/womenofsparta.html
Sparta began when the Peloponnesus the invasions of Dorian Greek tribes coming from Macedonia and Epirus for submitting or displacing the older Achaean Greek habitats. Sparta is the cultural and state of the Spartans and was the greatest state with the central finger of Peloponnese. He was the greatest power that the military that the Greece had in the history of Sparta. Soon the Spartans couldn’t and didn’t produce the art or the philosophy, and Peloponnese didn’t give them any written work to control their army. The Greek lived on because its people admired and valued the Greeks for what they had done. The city was founded during the Mycenaean war. The Dorian Spartans crossed the Taygetus mountains and stole the country of Messenia. But just because the Spartans has taken over the land Messenia didn’t give up without a fight. So they fought and the Messenia almost won but the Spartans fought hard and won the battle, by out numbering the Messenia’s population. The Spartans responded by making a military government, or a military oligarchy formed by Lycurgus, according to the Spartans
Kids lived in the mother’s quarter until they were seven and had to sleep in wicker baskets or wooden cradles. Kids would play with balls, tiny chariots, rattles, yo-yos, rocking horses and animals made of clay. Many Spartans had pets. Spartans favourite animal was a dog, so many households had pet dogs, but dogs weren’t the only animals that were pets, there were bird’s goat’s mice weasels and grasshoppers. At the age of 7 boys went to school.
Sparta had the greatest military power of all of Greece and played catalytic role in history of Peloponnese. Spartans were small but very well disciplined in battle. When a Spartan boy was born the elders of Sparta inspected him to see if he was fit enough to train. If he was weak and sick he would be left to die on Mount Taygetus. if the boy was to live the mother learned to feed him with plain food, to bathe him in wine for tempering his body, not to be afraid of being left alone and not to be afraid of dark. A Spartan boy’s military training started at the age of five, this statue continued until he became eleven years old. He left his home and started to live in barracks and was given a tunic to wear. After the boy completed his 12th year he was now a youth so his Physical Training increased and he had his hair cut very short and his Tunic was taken away and replaced with a thin cloak.
The rivalry, between Sparta and Athens erupted into a disastrous war for Athens, it was true to everyone in Sparta and Athens that they did not like anyone in the other town which turned into wars.
Below is a brief of the "Battle of Plataea".
Battle of Plataea
479 BC
Five thousand citizens, each one attended by seven slaves, together with five thousand Spartans and they marched toward the Plateau. This was a very large army and never in the past Sparta had sent such a big force in the field. At Isthmu, they joined with the Peloponnesian allies and continued to march to the plateau. Along the way the army was joined by three thousand Megarons and finally at Plataea another eight thousand Athenian joined them. The number of Greek army were now thirty thousand.
The Greeks after consulting the Gods with sacrifices at Eleusis marched over the ridge of Kithairon mountain they saw the encamped Persian army in the valley of Asopos. For eight days the attack was delayed from both sides by unfavorable sacrifices. When Pausanias at night gave the order of retreat, some Spartans refused to move. Threats did nothing to persuade the Spartan captain Amomferatus, who took a huge rock and threw it at the feet of Pausanias, with the words: "with this pebble I give my vote not to fly".
Only three thousand Persians who escaped, from the three hundred thousand. The Spartans lost only one thousand and three hundred men.
http://sikyon.com/sparta/history_eg.html
The battle of Thermopylae was one of the most famous ancient Greek battles. The war was between The Ancient Greek city states who were led by Sparta. And commanded by King Leonidas.
The Persians who were led by King Xerxes, the ruler of all of the known parts of Middle East and Asia at that time. The battle started on the 7th of August 480 BC and ended on the 8th or the 10th of September 480 BC.
Before the battle started
Before the battle and the war had started all of Greece was at war. Sparta was fighting Athens and the other cities picked sides. While the Greeks were too busy fighting amongst themselves, the Persians who are the modern day Iraq's, were growing more powerful every day. They ruled most of the known world. And were the dominate country at this time. But Xerxes wanted more he also wanted to rule Greece. So first he sent envoys to Sparta, Athens, Corinth and Olympia. The envoys were killed by the Spartans. While the other City States said then we shall be at war, and we will never bow at the feet of your master. So Xerxes launched an attack on Greece. It took him two years to get his two million strong army to Greece. Xerxes and his Persian army stormed through Greece and could not be stopped. But they had to march through a small narrow path between a hill and the high cliffs of the Aegean sea ,known as the "Hot Gates "or Thermopylae. Which was the last defence before the Persians would take Athens. A perfect spot for the Spartan and Greek Phalanx to be put to use. Because a Phalanx is a unit of men who stood in a line and put their spears in a line. But the Phalanx was very weak sometimes because it had no defence from behind, or the sides. But because they had hills on their sides and the Sea on the other and there was no way around, but through the Spartans. All that the Persians could do, would be to run into the Greek Spears. And get Impaled on their spears. But before that the Spartans left for Thermopylae they visited the Oracle of Delphi. Who told him that for Sparta to live one Spartan King must die. Because in Sparta there were always two kings. From two separate families. And King Leonidas knew that the battle was, a suicide mission and there was no way that a small Greek army, of just over ten thousand men could hold off over two million men. So then he would die and Sparta would live.
The battle of Thermopylae
When we think of the battle of we think of Thermopylae the three hundred Spartans. But in fact we are incorrect there were another nine thousand Athenian soldiers there. On the first day the Spartans and the Olympians took the mountain pass. While the Athenian navy held the Sea from the Persian ships. And on the first day King Leonidas met an old Farmer who said that there was a way around. To the Spartans from the Persian side. So King Leonidas ordered the Corinthians to guard that way in. On the first day the Persians ordered in their Immortals. The Persian infantry elite. They were called the immortals because once that one Immortal was killed, another would take his place. But the Spartans prevailed and beat them back again and again and again. By the end of the battle Xerxes had lost one eighth of his army and his brother and two of his finest generals. As the historical accounts say. The Spartans could not loose a battle and either could their allies. Until the farmer that told King Leonidas, about the small path told King Xerxes for a nice reward. And betrayed them. On the last day of the battle King Leonidas bravely told his allies to go home and prepare Athens. For the Persian assault on Greece. The Spartans were now on their own now the legend of the three hundred Spartans begins. The Spartans drew their swords and fought of the Persians for eight hours until a sea of arrows rained down upon them and killed them all. But three hundred brave young men held off over two million Persians and severely dented the Persian hopes of taking Greece. And saved the Ancient Greek world. This was the legacy of Sparta ."Come home with this shield or come home dead upon it". Never retreat never say die.
Bibliography By Nikolas Petrovski
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